Meet Alma/Dyeing A Louis Vuitton Alma

I think I told you that I had a few things on my wish list before my paychecks run out.
Today's deposit may be the last one.
Boo.
I also had some birthday gift cards from eBay.
Fun, fun, fun.

I found the classic Louis Vuitton Alma MM for a bargain during some late night browsing. 

This is a handbag post. You are welcome to opt out, if handbags aren't your thing.

Alma came in on a jet plane from Japan. 

I think I've said this before. Japan has strict counterfeiting laws.
The sellers I use want to sell $15,000 Hermes, Birkins and $5,000 Chanels.
They aren't going to risk their selling reputations selling fakes. 

There are other parts of Asia that are known for fakes, however.
I steer very clear of sellers from other countries.
I've done all my own authentications but there are professional authenticators available if you aren't sure what to look for and you would like to buy designer items on eBay.

Before:

After checking it over for authenticity, all the brass was cleaned up with Bar Keeper's Friend.

This girl was dirty.

Bags with Vachetta leather on the bottoms typically have issues with stains.
People will accidentally set their bag down in water and unless the bag is pre-treated with leather protector, the water will stain it.
This bag is from the 90s and it looks like it has a big water stain on the bottom.

I wiped the whole thing down with a warm, damp wash rag.
I also wiped the inside of the bag out as well. 

The stains on this bag didn't come out but that doesn't matter because I'd always planned on dyeing it.

I let it dry. 

 Nail polish remover or acetone will deglazed the leather so that it can absorb the dye.
Dip a cotton ball into the nail polish remover and gently wipe down the bag.
Let it dry.
I used Fiebing's Leather Dye in USMC Black.

The larger parts were dyed using the cotton wand that comes with the dye. 

The smaller parts needed a finer hand so I used a paint brush with a very fine tip.
One coat covered up most of the staining.
Leather dyeing is messy so be careful with the product. 

Let it dry for about an hour after each coat.

After two coats of dye and a finish coat with Angelus Brand Acrylic Finisher in High Gloss, she was ready for her debut.
This bag is stunning.
The Macassar line, black leather trim with monogram canvas, started in the men's line but it's branched into the women's collection.
There have been several Limited Edition Almas that have a similar dye treatment.

The Alma is a Louis Vuitton Icon. 

It began as a piece of luggage with compartments for clean and dirty laundry. 

It was redesigned in 1934 and became the Squire.
It was made over again during the 1950s and was renamed the Champs Elysees.
It has been a ladylike staple ever since is was redesigned and renamed in 1992.

It is a lovely, structured bag. 

Usually I like my bags slouchy and a little relaxed. 

This one, however, is not.

A few years ago, bloggers and YouTubers began dying older, worn out Almas and other bags. 

I've been dying to dye one ever since.
Pun intended.

I have to say that this exceeded my expectations. This bag is stunning. 

The brass detail is gorgeous.
I added an after market leather strap so this bag can be worn over the shoulder.

The lock can connect the two zipper pulls so that the bag is impervious to the notorious French pickpockets.

I realized as I was straightening my purse closet, that I have unknowingly been collecting the classics.

This one is a gorgeous addition to my collection.
Thanks for letting me share. 

Katie

Dishing and Digging It @ Life and Linda, 

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Tuesdays @ Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
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Dyeing A Leather Ottoman

Dying or Dyeing?
It is dyeing, I checked.

We got a new ottoman for the man cave. 

It is double the size of the previous ottoman.
Bill's feet are not getting any bigger, he just wanted to be able to spread out.
I will get around to blogging about it soon, my Lovelies.

We brought the old one downstairs so that we could give it away.
If you are a regular reader you may have seen one of my other dyeing experiments.
Read about how to dye a vintage Louis Vuitton in this post.

Dyeing a couple of handbags was so successful, I decided to try dyeing the ottoman so that it would match our existing leather chair.

The old ottoman was scuffed and scratched and the wrong color.
It was orange instead of chocolate.
Just FYI,  I really don't understand the appeal of orange and chocolate together.
Now, chocolate and raspberry is a flavor combination that I can get behind.

I don't know if I've mentioned this but Bill makes and dyes his own belts.
I'll ask him do a guest blog post about it.
He had some Cordovan dye in the garage but we also had some Dark Brown if the Cordovan was too red.

The whole piece needs to be deglazed before it will take and keep the dye.
I use nail polish remover and a soft cloth.

Using a dye dauber, I made sweeping motions across the leather with the dye.
Leather dye seeps quite a bit, so be careful. I put a trash bag under the ottoman to catch any of the drips.
Let the first coat dry for about an hour.

I did two coats on the top and the puffy sides and one coat on the flat sides.
The flat sides took the dye differently. This was news to me and an important note for my next project.

This was so easy.

It looks like a matched set!
Bill and I never buy furniture in matched sets.
This is a new day for us.

The ottoman looks brand new.
All the scratches have been covered up.

There isn't color transfer once the piece is dry.

Before:

After:

I'm thrilled with this.
I was also empowered.
What will be next?
Katie

Linking with,
Stonegable